As Russel entered his designated grind area—a dense forest—his heart pounded with excitement. After you reach Level 10, your grind area switches from the open plains to the forest near the town.
My first battle! Russel thought, a rush of adrenaline surging through him.
Around him, lush green trees stretched endlessly. Some were tall and sturdy, their trunks wrapped in moss. Others were shorter, with leaves shimmering faintly in the soft light. A few even glowed softly, casting eerie shadows over the rocky, uneven ground.
The air smelled fresh—pine and earth mixed with the faint scent of wildflowers hidden in the underbrush. It was beautiful, mysterious—and deadly. The perfect place to set an ambush—or in Russel's case, to be ambushed.
Before he could even plan his hunt, a creature slammed into him from the side, sending him flying into a tree.
-230 HP
Pain flared in his side, but Russel's eyes locked onto the wolf before him—a massive beast standing 7.8 meters tall, with silver fur and glowing red eyes.
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Name: Silver Wolf (Wandering Boss)Lvl: 15
Stats:
HP: 1000/1000
MP: 1150/1350
STR: 30
AGI: 32
CON: 24
Skills:
Demon Bash: Slam your entire body into an enemy, dealing 200 damage plus your STR stat. (Cost: 200 Mana) {Cooldown: 118s}
Passive Skills:
Overwhelm: Ignore the enemy's CON stat if they are lower level than you.
Berserk Call: Summon a pack of 3 level 10 wolves and boost your stats by 10% when at 20% health.
________________________
"Oh shit, Plot armour where are you?" Russel asked a nobody called the author who was definitely not real and definitely not laughing at his MC's predicament.
"Az, Why can't I see its hidden stats?" Russel asked Az in his mind.
"That only works on you." Az replied.
Before Russel could even complain more, the wolf charged straight at him.
Russel brought his gauntlets to block the attack. The wolf raised its right arm to attack him, and as Russel brought his gauntlets to defend the wolf withdrew its right arm and attacked with its left.
A feint! Russel realised it too late. The wolf hit him squarely on his left side which he wasn't defending.
-30 HP
Before the wolf could strike him again Russel moved and sent a punch to the wolf's left side. But his attack missed, no the wolf dodged it.
Too predictable, come on Russel Az said in his mind.
But before he could reply the wolf attacked him and sent him rolling away.
Why can't I hit it?Not a single attack of mine has hit it, while every attack that it has made hit me.Am I really this weak?
"You were too excited Russel, more than that you haven't accepted this." Az said.
Accepted what? Russel asked.
"Your situation of transmigration."
Something finally clicked inside Russel as he stared at the wolf's eyes after hearing that.
They contained real intelligence as well as it contained malice for the beautiful human before it. Russel doubted AI could make such eyes even a hundred years into the future.
He finally understood why he was losing. Yes he was excited, but more than that Russel thought this was a game. A game of fiction inside fiction. In his subconsciousness Russel believed that he was in a game. A game in his favourite novel.
Frankly, in his subconsciousness Russel didn't think this was real. He didn't think he had anything to lose other than his exp and pride.
But now, the weight of the truth pressed down on him. While that may be true right now, in the future that would be fatal for him.
It was the factor that decided whether he'd hunt or be hunted.